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called the Synagogue of the Libertines and Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia, and of Afia, difputing with Stephen.

10. And they were not able to refift the WISDOM and the SPIRIT by which he spake.

11. Then they fuborned Men, which faid, We have heard him fpeak blafphemous Words against Moses, and against God.

12. And they stirred up the People, and the Elders, and the Scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the Council,

13. And fet up falfe Witneffes, which faid, This Man ceafeth not to speak blafphemous Words against this holy Place, and the Law.

14. For we have heard him fay, that this Fefus of Nazareth fhall deftroy this Place, and fhall change the Cuftoms which Mofes delivered us.

15. And all that fat in the Council, looking ftedfastly on him, faw his Face as it had been the FACE of an ANGEL.

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CHAP. VII.

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1. Stephen permitted to answer to the Accufation of Blafphemy, 2. fheweth that Abraham worshipped God rightly, and how God chose the Fathers, 20. before Mofes was born, and before the Tabernacle or Temple were built. 37. That Mofes himself witnessed of CHRIST: and that all outward Ceremonies were ordained according to the heavenly Pattern, to laft but for a Time: Reprehending their Rebellion, and murdering of CHRIST the just One, whom the Prophets foretold fhould come into the World. Whereupon they ftone him to Death; who commendeth his Soul to Jefus, and humbly prayeth for them.

Ver.1.THEN faid the High Prieft, Are these Things fo?

2. And he faid, Men, Brethren, and Fathers, hearken, The GOD of GLORY appeared unto our Father Abraham, when he was in Mefopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

3. And faid unto him, Get thee out of thy Country,

and

and from thy Kindred, and come into the Land which I fhall fhew thee.

4. Then came he out of the Land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: And from thence, when his Father was dead, he removed him into this Land, wherein ye now dwell.

5. And he gave him no Inheritance in it, no, not so much as to fet his Foot on ; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a Poffeffion, and to his Seed after him, when as yet he had no Child.

6. And God fpake on this wife, That his SEED fhould fojourn in a ftrange Land, and that they should bring them into Bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred Years.

7. And the Nation to whom they fhall be in Bondage will I judge, faid God: And after that fhall they come forth, and ferve me in this Place.

8. And he gave him the Covenant of Circumcifion: And fo Abraham begat Ifaac, and circumcifed him the eighth Day; and Ifaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve Patriarchs,

9. And the Patriarchs moved with Envy, fold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him :

10. And delivered him out of all his Afflictions, and gave him Favour and Wifdom in the Sight of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he made him Governour over Egypt, and all his House.

11. Now there came a Dearth over all the Land of E83ft and Canaan, and great Affliction; and our Fathers found no Suftenance.

12. But when Jacob heard that there was Corn in Egypt, he fent out our Fathers first.

13. And at the fecond time Jofeph was made known to his Brethren; and Jofeph's Kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

14. Then fent fofeph, and called his Father Jacob to him, and all his Kindred, threefcore and fifteen Souls. 15. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he and our Fathers,

16. And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the Sepulchre that Abraham bought for a Sum of Money of the Sons of Emmor, the Father of Sychem.

17. But when the Time of the Promife drew nigh, which

God

God had fworn to Abraham, the People grew and multiplied in Egypt,

18. Till another King arofe, which knew not Jofeph. 19. The fame dealt fubtilly with our Kindred, and evil intreated our Fathers, fo that they caft out their young Children, to the End they might not live.

20. In which Time Mofes was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his Father's Houfe three Months: 21. And when he was caft out, Pharaoh's Daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own Son.

22. And Mofes was learned in all the Wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in Words and in Deeds.

23. And when he was full forty Years old, it came into his Heart to vifit his Brethren the Children of Ifrael.

24. And feeing one of them fuffer Wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppreffed, and smote the Egyptian:

25. For he fuppofed his Brethren would have underftood, how that God by his Hand would deliver them; but they understood not.

26. And the next Day he fhewed himself unto them as they ftrove, and would have fet them at one again, faying, Sirs, Ye are Brethren; why do ye Wrong one to another?

27. But he that did his Neighbour Wrong, thrust him away, faying, Who made thee a Ruler and a Judge over

us?

28. Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yefterday?

29. Then fled Mofes at this Saying, and was a Stranger in the Land of Madian, where he begat two Sons.

30. And when forty Years were expired, there appeared to him in the Wilderness of Mount Sinai, an ANGEL of the Lord in a Flame of Fire, in a Bufh.

31. When Mofes faw it, he wondred at the Sight: And as he drew near to behold it, the Voice of the Lord came unto him,

32. Saying, I am the GoD of thy FATHERS, the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Mofes trembled, and durft not behold.

33. Then faid the Lord to him, Put off thy Shoes from thy Feet; for the Place where thou ftandeft is HOLY GROUND.

34. I have feen, I have feen the Affliction of my People which is in Egypt, and I have heard their Groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will fend thee into Egypt.

35. This Mofes whom they refufed, faying, Who made thee a Ruler and a Judge? the fame did God fend to be a Ruler and a Deliverer by the Hands of the Angel, which appeared to him in the Bush.

36. He brought them out, after that he had fhewed Wonders and Signs in the Land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the Wilderness forty Years.

37..This is that Mofes, which faid unto the Children of Ifrael, A Prophet fhall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren, like unto me; him fhall ye hear.

38. This is he that was in the Church in the Wilderness, with the Angel which fpake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our Fathers: who received the LIVELY ORACLES to give unto us.

39. To whom our Fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their Hearts turned back again into Egypt,

40. Saying unto Aaron, Make us Gods to go before us: for as for this Mofes, which brought us out of the Land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

41. And they made a Calf in thofe Days, and offered Sacrifice unto the Idol, and rejoiced in the Works of their own Hands.

42. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the Hoft of Heaven, as it is written in the Book of the Prophets, O ye Houfe of Ifrael, have ye offered to me flain Beafts and Sacrifices, by the Space of forty Years in the Wilderness?

43. Yea, ye took up the Tabernacle of Moloch, and the Star of your God Remphan, Figures which ye made, to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

44. Our Fathers had the TABERNACLE of WITNESS in the Wilderness, as he had appointed, fpeaking unto Mofes, that he fhould MAKE it according to the FASHION that he had feen.

45. Which alfo our Fathers that came after, brought in with Jefus into the Poffeffion of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the Face of our Fathers, unto the Days of David.

46. Who

46. Who found Favour before God, and defired to find a Tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

47. But Solomon built him an House.

48. Howbeit, the MOST HIGH dwelleth not in TEMPLES MADE with HANDS; as faith the Prophet,

49. HEAVEN is my THRONE, and EARTH is my FOOTSTOOL: What Houfe will ye build me, faith the Lord: or what is the Place of my Reft?

50. Hath not my HAND MADE ALL thefe THINGS?

51. Ye ftiff-necked, and uncircumcifed in Heart and Ears, ye do always RESIST the HOLY GHOST: As your Fathers did, fo do ye.

52. Which of the PROPHETS have not your Fathers PERSECUTED? And they have SLAIN them which fhewed before of the COMING of the JUST ONE, of whom ye have been now the BETRAYERS and MURDERERS:

53. Who hath RECEIVED the LAW by the Difpofition of Angels, and have not kept it.

54. When they heard thefe Things, they were cut to the Heart, and they gnafhed on him with their Teeth.

55. But he being FULL of the HOLY GHOST, looked up ftedfaftly into Heaven, and faw the GLORY of GOD, and Jefus STANDING on the RIGHT HAND of God,

56. And faid, Behold, I fee the HEAVENS opened, and the Son of MAN STANDING on the right Hand of GOD. 57. Then they cried out with a loud Voice, and ftopped their Ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58. And caft him out of the City, and STONED him: And the Witneffes laid down their Cloaths at a young Man's Jeet, whofe Name was Saul.

59. And they STONED Stephen, CALLING upon God, and faying, LORD Jefus, RECEIVE MY SPIRIT.

60. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud Voice, Lord, lay not this Sin to their Charge. And when he had faid this, he fell asleep.

CHAP. VIII.

By occafion of the Perfecution in Jerufalem, the Church being planted in Samaria, 5. by Philip the Deacon, who preached, did Miracles, and baptized many, among the rest Simon the Sorcerer, a great Seducer of

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